Medical doctor Mussa Lenyumpa has reportedly ended his engagement with Nominated Senator Hezena Lemaletian after discovering that she is ten years older than him.
The dramatic breakup has stirred heated online debate, with conflicting accounts emerging from both parties.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, Senator Lemaletian released an official statement announcing the termination of the relationship.
She attributed the split to cultural reasons, saying that Samburu elders conducted a mandatory background check and concluded that the engagement should not proceed.
“Allegations that I was married are false and unfounded. I shall also not be married to that person whatsoever. I deeply thank our elders,” the senator stated. She further revealed that a dowry of KSh 100,000 had been returned, and the engagement was formally cancelled in January 2025.
However, popular bloggers Maverick Aoko challenged her narrative.
One widely circulated post alleged that Lemaletian misled Mussa about her age, claiming to be 28. It was only later that Mussa, born in 1999, discovered she was a decade older.
Adding to the controversy, receipts shared online indicated that the dowry refunded was not KSh 100,000, but KSh 474,000. The blogger also claimed it was Mussa who initiated the breakup, frustrated by what he saw as dishonesty and incompatible expectations.
“It’s the boy who called off the engagement,” one post read. “But because he’s young and has no public influence, the senator is trying to control the story.”
In a separate undated video posted online, a woman believed to be Lemaletian is seen placing a ring on Mussa’s finger, telling him, “Nipate umetoa!”—loosely translated as, “Let me catch you taking it off!”
